Philadelphia Flyers: Medvedev’s the Strong, Silent Type

By Marc Naples | Oct 20, 2015

All the buzz of the Philadelphia Flyers offseason was focused elsewhere.

Much of the attention was sucked up by the draft. The Flyers landed a potential number one defenseman in Ivan Provorov, and then snagged another promising prospect with their 2nd first round pick in Travis Konecny. On top of that, the Flyers traded for the speedy and skilled Sam Gagner hoping that he could boost their stagnant 5v5 offense.

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Besides, every one knows that the Flyers defense is no good. It just seems like wasted energy to get up any hopes of a quick turnaround on defense. If anything, hardcore Flyers fans mustered a little excitement about their run to sign promising young Russian defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, but he ultimately decided to stay in the KHL at least one more year.

All these factors rendered the signing of Evgeni Medvedev, a 33-year-old defenseman who’s never played in the NHL, underwhelming. Not only would Medvedev have to contend with unfamiliar players, referees and rinks, he did not speak a lick of English.

Oct 14, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) takes a shot while being checked by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Evgeny Medvedev (82) and right wing Wayne Simmonds (17) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

One of my favorite writers, Bill Bryson, once described being in a foreign country in which one does not speak the language as like being 4-years old again. You can’t read anything, you can’t speak to anyone, and even crossing the street is a perilous exercise. Life is reduced to a series of guesses. For his own part, Medvedev himself has drolly observed that in America he’s “like a dog, [I] can understand but can’t say.”

All that said, those concerns haven’t mattered. The early results imply that Evgeni Medvedev could have the biggest impact on the Philadelphia Flyers this season. He immediately impressed in the preseason with his smooth skating, intelligent play, and a talent for getting the puck to the net from the point.

In contrast to his uncertain English, his game on the ice is crystal clear. “We’ve seen a confident player,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said,”He’s an intelligent young man and he’s got excellent hockey sense. He’s got good playmaking ability and real good poise on the ice. His got an escapability to him to allude forechecks and make plays that push the puck up ice.”

Now that the games matter, one could even make the case that Medvedev has been the Flyers best defenseman. Consider his Corsi numbers after 4 games relative to the rest of the defensive corps:

Defenseman Corsi

If you’re not a fan of Corsi statistics, over the first three regular season games Medvedev was out on the ice for both of the Flyers only two even strength goals, not to mention another power play assist. That was 3 of the Flyers’ first four goals on the season. How’s that for a quick impact? Even his three goals against were rooted in Mason’s blunders against Florida and in the 3v3 vs TB, all forgivable trespasses.

Maybe we should have known of his quality. He could have come over to the NHL earlier, but intentionally waited until after the Sochi Olympics in 2014. In that time, he established himself as one of the best defensemen in the KHL, and a regular for Team Russia. Furthermore, his size, skating, and efficient game is a perfect fit for today’s NHL.

It’s still early days. Medvedev has only played four regular season NHL games, but the question of “if” he belongs has been answered. The only things left to determine is how high his ceiling is, and how consistently he can perform. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Medvedev is one of the Philadelphia Flyers steadiest defensemen over the next few months.

If all continues according to plan, the Flyers will have a host of intriguing options. Medvedev is only on a one-year contract, so the Flyers will need to act quickly. Though he’s 33, he is still a candidate for multi-year extension. He’s not a banger so he shouldn’t wear down physically, and with his deft, intelligent movement on the ice he is the type of player who can be effective into his late-30s.

The Flyers may be compelled to act quickly in either re-signing him to a multi-year deal, or look to trade him if the team’s playoff hopes are stalling. For all the reasons mentioned above, he is the type of player that a playoff team looking for depth on the blue-line would covet, and from which the Flyers could fetch an appetizing return.

But I don’t want to get ahead of anything. Medvedev will have at least a few more months of proving himself to the Philadelphia Flyers and others around the NHL of his quality. Maybe by that time, he will be able to tell them himself. In English.

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